1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to various sportsboards such as skateboards, surfboards and snowboards and, more particularly to a foot support apparatus for supporting a user's foot, or feet, relative to such a sportsboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some degree of attachment of the user to his sportboard is becoming increasingly more desirable in various sports, such as skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing. For example, modern surfboards allow a great deal of speed and maneuverability. With these newer board designs, surfers are attempting increasingly difficult and complicated gymnastic maneuvers called "aerials." However, the limiting factor remains the difficulty in staying with the board once in the air and achieving a controlled landing. There is a great benefit if the surfer's feet were somehow attached to the surfboard and the surfer's arms and upper body are free to aid in controlling the maneuver.
While there have been attempts to provide such attachment, none have been proven to be acceptable in practice. For example, shoes or sandal-like footwear have been fitted with hook & loop (VELCRO) designed to adhere to like material applied to the deck of the board. Suction cups have been used in a similar fashion. However, the major drawback to these devices is that they cause a surfer's feet to become generally fixed wherever they first make contact with the surfboard. In practice, a surfer's feet are seldom perfectly placed upon standing, and nearly always require some adjustment before he can perform effectively. If the attachment of surfer to board is strong enough to hold during extreme, and especially aerial, maneuvers it will not allow this adjustment. Conversely, if the strength of the attachment allows repositioning of the feet it will be so weak as to render the system ineffective.
Foot straps, similar to those used for sailboards, have been attached to surfboards. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,553, issued to K. D. Wilson, discloses a foot strap and means for attachment thereof to a surfboard. The invention comprises an elastic strap member comprising an inner pad, an outer pad and a leaf spring member sandwiched between the inner and outer pads. The spring member has a generally arcuate shape for establishing a generally arcuate shape of the strap member. First fastening means are coupled to a first end of the strap member for pivotally attaching the strap member to a surfboard. Second fastening means are coupled to a second end of the strap member for attaching the strap member to the surfboard, the second fastening means having a flexible portion for allowing the strap member to extend into a flattened configuration on the surface of the surfboard.
Methods using foot straps have drawbacks in practical use. The surfer must insert his foot into such a strap. He must first lift his foot off the board momentarily then shove it into the strap. This is a very unnatural movement on a surfboard to perform in a split second upon entering a wave. Natural movement on a surfboard is longitudinally forward and aft. On a longer board, the rider walks forward or backward crossing his feet one after the other to trim his board. On small boards the movements are subtle using a twisting forward or backward movement of toes down then heel up and moved forward; then heel down, toes up, then moved forward. This natural movement while maintaining board contact has been taken into account by having the support means often ended to easily enter and exit by moving forward or backward into the surfboard turning position.